The recent decision by Egypt’s government to pull the movie “Halawet Roh” (Beauty of Spirit) from the theaters and send it back to the censorship board for review has raised quite the controversy in the country. The substantially erotic movie, based on the Italian movie “Malena” and starring Lebanese singer and regional sex icon Haifa Wehbe, was criticized by many as being too salacious. The movie was also criticized for featuring a young child in a lead role in a manner that both exposed the child on set to inappropriately erotic and violent scenes, as well as making this child a potential bad influence for the many minors who are expected to eventually see the movie, whether ripped online or purchased through (unofficial) street vendors, despite the film’s “adults only” rating.
According to news website Sada El Balad, the child actor Karim has been unable to leave his house following attacks on him in the streets. His mother claimed that in one incident the child was spat on and called an “apostate” who had to be fixed up by his parents. While the child’s presence in the overall film was criticized, much of the controversy Karim faced was due to erroneous information that spread that he acted in a one-on-one rape scene with Wehbe.
The film reportedly earned 1 million Egyptian pounds ($143,000) in its first week, a substantial figure for a relatively off-season release.
The cabinet met on April 19 with figures from the cinema and television industries to discuss the decision, and one of the attendees informed me that the predominant position of the attendees was one of support of the government decision. They included figures such as prominent Egyptian actor Mohammed Sobhy, who was one of the most vocal supporters of the government decision in the media.
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